


Horns

by Wapwani



Series: Dragon Queen prompt responses [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), dragon queen - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Tumblr Prompt, short and painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 01:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6100330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wapwani/pseuds/Wapwani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in the EF, a young queen Regina befriends a reluctant dragon, and makes herself at home in the dragon's lair.</p><p>Part of a series of mini-fics written in response to prompts for Dragon Queen. The prompt for this one was: "Finding the other wearing their clothes". Previously posted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Horns

**Author's Note:**

> The specific request was for Maleficent's horns.

Regina found she could not stay away from the dragon’s castle. She had committed to her lessons with Rumplestiltskin, and she was exploring the depths of her anger, mining the rage to fuel her growing power; but she still yearned for the dragon’s company. 

Maleficent had refused to teach her; she had smelled Rumple’s influence in Regina’s magic.

“You cannot have two teachers,” she had said dismissively. “And his claws are already deep in you.”

She had sent Regina away, back to her own castle and the cage of her marriage. But Regina had kept coming back. She had stopped asking for lessons as she grew more confident in her magic, and Maleficent began to treat her more as an equal; she stopped looking at Regina as though she were a frightened but fascinating child.

It got to the point where Maleficent allowed Regina the run of her castle; she’d go out flying and return to find Regina in her halls. She had a favourite chair, next to which she’d started building a small pile of books culled from Mal’s extensive libraries. She’d have a steaming cup of tea in her hands as she read. Or Mal would find her in the gardens, selecting herbs and flowers from which she would later distill all manners of potions. Or she’d have gone wandering through the corridors of the castle, finding old paintings and tapestries which she’d quiz Mal about until even the dragon’s long memory failed her.

Mal would reflect later that it was unfortunate she herself had been so wary of this young queen. If she had been less guarded with herself, perhaps things would have turned out differently. But for every time she found Regina in her home, for every opportunity Maleficent was given to draw Regina closer to her and further away from Rumplestiltskin, she had gone only so far. Just far enough to show Regina what friendship could look like and to keep her coming back for more, but not far enough to give Regina the distance she needed to battle the dark that was consuming her.

Maleficent had been amused that day, when she had returned from a long hunt and gone to her chambers to change. She moved so silently that Regina hadn’t noticed her standing in the doorway of the dressing room. Maleficent wondered how many times Regina had done this; how often had she crept into her rooms and opened her wardrobes and played amongst the silks and velvets Mal favoured.

The dress did not fit Regina well. Maleficent was so much taller and her bosom swelled heavier than Regina’s did. What on Mal was a striking gown with a dramatic reveal of cleavage became ridiculous on Regina. As though her body had shrunk and was being overwhelmed by frills and lace.

But the headdress, that was a different story.

Regina had selected the curved horns. Maleficent hardly ever wore this crown anymore. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and she so rarely needed the extra intimidation it allowed her now. The horns transformed Regina; their weight forced her to alter her stance, straightening her back and stiffening her shoulders; she had to tilt her head in such a way that she was staring haughtily down her nose at her reflection in the mirror; she had to tighten the muscles of her neck so her jawline firmed and her teeth clenched. She looked disdainful and imperial, with a trace of cruelness about her mouth that made Mal feel suddenly and inexplicably sad.

Maleficent would remember this moment, years from now, when Regina would become known as ‘the Evil Queen’; when her wardrobe had changed so much that she outdid Maleficent in intimidation-via-clothing and the strategic deployment of cleavage. Even though she made some outlandish choices, Regina would never again wear a headdress like Maleficent’s horns (they really were heavy and uncomfortable). But she never lost the look that Maleficent had seen in her that day - that coldness and flint born from the need to stand tensed and firm against a burden that weighed on her.

(Maleficent’s regret would stay with her, even through the long decades Regina had her imprisoned under the strange new world she was building. She could not shake the feeling that she had somehow failed the young woman who had been her friend. She promised herself, if the opportunity ever came, she would not fail Regina again.)


End file.
